From Russia With Laughter

John Hart
, ContributorOpinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

An unforgettable 2016 is almost over. But one story that will stretch well into 2017 is the claim that the Russians “hacked” the 2016 election. No one is happier about this than Russian president Vladimir Putin who knows the joke is on us.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin rides a horse during his vacation outside the town of Kyzyl in Southern Siberia on August 3, 2009. (ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images)

In a recent appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta refused to describe the 2016 election as “free and fair.”

Host Chuck Todd began by directly asking Podesta, “Do you believe this was a free and fair election?”

Podesta should have said some variation of the following:

“Yes, Chuck. It was a free and fair election. The American people spoke clearly. It was a hard fought and tough race. We gave it our all. Of course we made mistakes but Donald Trump won fair and square. And as Hillary Clinton said in her concession speech, Democrats should ‘work with him on behalf of our country’ and ‘hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans.’

“And, Chuck, President Obama echoed these sentiments a few days later. He said, ‘the people have spoken. Donald Trump will be the next president’ and ‘those who didn't vote for him have to recognize that that's how democracy works. That's how this system operates.’ Chuck, the president has daily intelligence briefings. If he didn’t think this was a free and fair election he wouldn’t have made these comments.”

Podesta, sadly, didn’t offer a statesmanlike response. Instead he demurred, dodged and pandered to an adversary in order to absolve himself of responsibility for a poorly run campaign.

Podesta said to Todd, “Well, look, I think the Russians clearly intervened in the election and I think that now we know that both the CIA, the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI all agree that the Russians intervened [and] helped Trump and that … Vladimir Putin was personally involved with that.”

Todd then pressed Podesta, saying: “You didn't answer the question. Do you believe it was a free and fair election?”

“Well, I think it was – I think it was distorted by the Russian intervention. Let’s put it that way,” Podesta replied.